Imaginary
by applebits
Summary: When she was a child, he was her imaginary friend, someone she played with. At ten he protected her, becoming her hero. She turned fifteen, and he became real. But then again, he always was.
1. Scattered

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does.

Note: This story is not going to take the place of 'Diagnosis Incomplete'. I will work on it when I need a break from DI, and need new ideas. I just had to write this idea down before I totally forgot it. (terrible memory) Anyways, I hope you like this one.

Chapter One: Scattered

"Can I touch your ears? I've never seen a human with ears that look like a doggy's before."

"That's because I'm not human."

"Kagome, I'm gonna have to leave you for awhile. But, I'll be back."

"Do you promise? 'Cause if you're gone for too long, then I won't have anyone to play with."

"I promise."

"Stupid Geometry! I swear, it's going to be the death of me..."

"You're doing it all wrong! Here, let me show you how it's done."

"...Inuyasha? How do you know Geometry? I didn't think they had it five-hundred years ago..."

"What the hell are you doing? It's the middle of the night for crying out loud!"

"I'm trying to build my strength, so I can protect myself! Then you won't have to..."

"...That's crazy talk. I'm always gonna have to protect you."

"No you won't! That's why I'm exercis-"

"I'm the one that's always going to protect you, dammit! Not you, or anyone else! Only **me**!"

"...She tried to kill both you and me, yet you're still protecting her! That's ridiculous! The two of you are ridiculous!"

"Don't talk that way about her! She didn't know..."

"Open you're eyes, Inuyasha! She seems to really dislike me for some reason, and would even attempt murder to get me out of the way! If that's okay with you, fine. But it's not okay with me..."

"Kagome, I'm not okay with that! I don't agree with what she tried to do, it's just that...I... I love Kikyo. I've loved her for five-hundred years."

"I have to go."

"Yeah, I know."

"...and you're okay with that?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, there's some ramen that I left for you on the table. Bye."

"...whatever...see if I care..."

Kagome groaned as she lifted her throbbing head from the ground, opening her eyes slightly. The sky was a large swirl of gray, and the clouds looked menacing. Soon it would start to rain, washing away everything, including the blood that coated the ground.

The raven haired girl pulled herself into an upright position, glancing around and trying to remember where she was. Off in the distance, she could see small village that resembled those from pictures in her History textbook.

"A village? That must mean I'm in the human realm." Kagome frowned. "But how did I...?"

She scrunched up her face, concentrating hard. Inuyasha had wanted go there because he thought Naraku would be there.

"...Which he was..." The bruised and battered girl recalled. She was beginning to regain her memory. "...and...he wanted the jewel, but...me and Inuyasha wouldn't give it to him." Kagome winced as she accidently brushed her scraped arm across the rough terrain. "Then we fought him...and..." The teenagers eyes became wide when she remembered the bright light that had enveloped her, Inuyasha, and Naraku after she had shot that arrow to try and protect herself. Naraku had shrieked in terror, which delighted her immensely...but...

"Inuyasha..." Inuyasha had disappeared. Just vanished right in front of her eyes. Kagome became panicked suddenly. Her purification powers had...they had destroyed Inuyasha.

"He's dead..." Her tears mingled with the rain drops that had begun to fall at that moment. Slowly, she brought the small jewel that lay on the damp ground up to her face.

She couldn't be there any longer. Staying meant certain death, so she had to go home. She had to leave.

The sound of footsteps behind her made Kagome spin around tensely, though she relaxed when she saw a young man and woman dressed as a monk and youkai exterminator standing there, looking grim.

"Sango...Miroku! I'm so glad to see you two." She made an attempt at a smile, only it came out as more of a wince.

Sango immediately stepped forward. "Kagome, you're hurt!" she motioned for Miroku to grab Kagome's left arm, while she grabbed the right. "Don't worry, Kagome. We'll get you out of here. Okay, Miroku! Let's do it!" An eerie blue glow wrapped itself around the trio, and Miroku glanced downwards at the jewel that was clutched tighly in Kagome's hand.

"Kagome," he spoke softly. "I'm sorry about Inuyasha." The gave him a slight smile, then looked at her feet as the glow around them became brighter.

"That's all right. Naraku's dead, isn't he? And maybe..." she swallowed hard, pushing down another wave of tears. "...maybe Inuyasha's with Kikyo now. Maybe they've already gone beyond the third gate..."

Sango peeked over at the monk guiltily. They couldn't tell her now. They couldn't tell Kagome that Naraku wasn't dead. That he was still alive. That would literally tear her apart.

As for Inuyasha, perhaps he was still alive...?

Within seconds, they were gone, flashing by the second and first gates. Kagome glanced hopefully down at the second world as they flew by. But he was nowhere to be seen.

"Wow. Fifteen and you haven't stopped believing I exist."

"Not believing! Knowing. I _know_ you exist."

"...And, you really won't stop? Ever?"

"Nope. Not ever."

"...thanks, Kagome."

"Hm...no problem."

End of chapter

Well, that's it for that chapter. I might or might not continue this story. It all depends I guess. Please leave a review so I can see what you think.


	2. Vacation's Over

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. Rumiko Takahashi does.

Author's Note: I'm still trying to come up with a plot for 'Diagnosis Incomplete', so I decided to write the second chapter for this story. I haven't given up on 'DI' though, so don't worry. Hope there's less confusion for this chapter! (Things will start to clear up in later chapters)

I'd like to say thank you to Inu-KagomeFan, Alison,Caitlyn, Tina, and twilight for reviewing. Thank youso much!

* * *

Chapter Two: Vacation's Over

* * *

Inuyasha had no idea why he still bothered to check that damn list that was posted in the small café everyday. There really was no need for him to go and check, but there he was, waiting in line for his turn to try and find his name on the list somewhere. Miroku, a used-to-be monk who kept insisting that they were friends, was in front of him like always, chattering away about one perverted thing or another.

He often wondered how someone as sneaky and horny as Miroku could ever, in any lifetime, have been a monk. Contemplating this for years, an answer never came up. Eventually, he just gave up trying to figure the lecherous monk out. Miroku was a hopeless cause anyways.

He felt somebody poke him on his forehead with their finger, and Inuyasha looked up from his thoughts to see Miroku staring at him with curiosity glazing his eyes.

"Mind telling me what you're thinking of, Inuyasha?" When Inuyasha didn't answer, the monks' face suddenly took on a gleeful expression. "Could it be a lady friend, perhaps?" he wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. "Well, is it? Has some young, delicate creature of the female race taken your fanc?"

"Shut up and turn around before I put your lights out, monk."

Miroku held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I get the picture." he spun to the front shortly. The line moved as another person left after seeing the list, and Inuyasha began to notice Miroku's shoulders become tense and rigid with each passing second. His breathing became uneasy and the hand on his staff clenched around it tightly.

The hanyou rolled his eyes at the apparent discomfort of his friend who seemed to want to ask him a question. _'If I ignore him, maybe he won't bother me.'_

Testing this new technique, Inuyasha glanced down at his bare feet and kept his eyes locked on them, still looking down even as he moved along with the line._ '...I didn't know my feet were that big...' _he twitched his toes. _'...it's like I'm staring at a replication of Big Foot or something...'_

One of Inuyasha's dog-like ears flicked to the side nervously as he began to sense someone watching him. Suspiciously and with his head still bowed, Inuyasha glanced out of the corner of his eye's to see if someone really was watching him. Yet, he didn't see anyone that seemed to be staring at him. Maybe he was just imagining it...?

But the sensation of somebody's eyes on him was strong, too strong to be his imagination. It was almost as if the person was standing right in front of him...

Immediately Inuyasha jerked his head up to see Miroku, just as he had expected, watching him intensely. In fact, Miroku appeared to be concentrating so much at staring at him, that Inuyasha even had to wondered if the monk was still breathing. _'He sure doesn't look like it.' _The line moved forward.

"Monk..."Inuyasha began threateningly. "...I thought I told you to-"

He was cut off. "It's not Sango, right?"

At first Inuyasha was at a loss for words, since he had no idea what Miroku was talking about, but when the realization of what was going on hit him, he snorted in a dismissive sort of manner.

"Look Miroku, I've got no time or patience for dealing with your stupidity." he glanced behind, or rather, in front of Miroku. "Now turn around. The line's moving."

Slowly, and resembling a kicked puppy, the dejected young monk complied with Inuyasha's order. Miroku began talking, but it wasn't to Inuyasha. He was mumbling something to himself that, thanks to Inuyasha's wonderful canine hearing, was heard.

"...grumpy bastard...'no time' he says... hah! The guy hasn't worked in three years..." The hanyou raised an eyebrow. This was just too good an opportunity to pass up.

"Three years you say?" he started in a casual tone. "And here I've been thinking it was two."

Miroku froze suddenly, then began to turn, laughing nervously while rubbing the back of his head. Until he noticed that he was next in line, which gave him an excuse to ignore Inuyasha.

"Oh, well what do you know? I'm next..." Stepping up to the list, a very relieved monk put his pointer finger onto the paper and dragged it down, stopping when he reached his name.

_Houshi Miroku...Mikado Hideaki_

'_...Hideaki? Hm. I wonder who...'_

Scrolling his finger down a bit more, he paused once again.

_Taijya Sango...Yamada Kira_

"Oi Miroku! Are you done yet, or what?" Miroku looked back to see Inuyasha glaring daggers at him at him and tapping his foot. A sign that he was **_not_** happy. But when was Inuyasha ever happy? The monk glared back at Inuyasha. How could he not be? The guy's name hadn't been on the list in three years. He didn't have to be some kids 'imaginary friend' as they called their type on Earth.

Turning, Miroku was about to leave when something caught his eye on the list. He squinted, rubbed his eyes, and then re-read it again

_Inuyasha...Higurashi Kagome_

"Hurry up, dammit! I wanna get back to sleep..." The amused monk stepped away from the awaiting surprise for Inuyasha, wanting to see the look on his face when he found out vacation was over for him.

'_This is going to be good...' _He rubbed both hands together in anticipation.

Inuyasha lazily trailed his finger down the list, stopping every so often to yawn. He was in mid yawn when unexpectedly he froze. _'Wait, that couldn't have been right. I thought I saw...'_

Quickly, he moved his finger back up a few names, finally leaving his finger on one. Inuyasha stared open mouthed at _his_ own name staring right back at him.

"Inuyasha..." his eyes trailed to the right. "Higurashi Kagome." Miroku had already began to crack up as an enraged Inuyasha stormed past him.

"Hey! Don't you want some breakfast first?" The monk called after him, laughing as he did.

But Inuyasha was already past the café doors, which were still swinging wildly from his exit.

* * *

Kagome Higurashi froze the moment she heard her mom enter the bedroom, trying to move as stealthily as possible, but failing. Quickly, she rubbed away the warm tears that had been cascading down her cheeks with the large, brown, furry teddy bear that was grasped in both of her small arms. 

At last, her mothers footsteps ceased. "Kagome? Why aren't you outside playing with Yumi and Yuka? You all seemed to be having so much fun..."

"I don't like them." came the short and stubborn reply.

Mrs. Higurashi sighed, reaching forward and gently touching her daughter's shoulder.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you." Her shoulder only tensed.

"Kagome..." she started in a warning tone. "Turn around."

Slowly, and with her tiny hands still clutching the stuffed animal tightly as if it could protect her, Kagome turned away from the window and glanced nervously down at the floor.

Her mother smiled and stroked the back of Kagome's head. "Now tell me. Why don't you like Yumi and Yuka?"

The younger girl began twisting her teddy bears ear and sniffed. " Because...they didn't like..." she stopped.

"They didn't like what?" Mrs. Higurashi pressed on, slightly curious herself.

Reaching into her pocket, Kagome pulled out something small and wrapped her fingers around it. "They didn't like Mr. Fuzz-Ball."

"...Mr. Fuzz-Ball?" She later regretted asking when Kagome unclasped her fingers from each other, giving her mom a perfect view of 'Mr. Fuzz-Ball', who just so happened to be a bald ,and not mention, dead rat. It's body had already taken on a greenish-gray tinge and the eyes were non existent, leaving the deceased rat with only two dried up sockets.

"My god!" With quick thinking and reflexes, the horrified Mrs. Higurashi grabbed a nearby T-shirt and tossed it over the rat, wrapping it up and making sure to tie a _very_ tight knot.

A couple of flies were already surrounding the bag, wanting to get to the small rotting carcass inside. The older woman held the bag as far away from herself as possible, and glared at Kagome, who was trying to get her dead Mr. Fuzz-Ball back.

"Mommy! Give 'im back! You're suff-suff" she stumbled over the word. "Suffocating him!" Kagome paused and grinned, obviously pleased with being able to pronounce such a difficult word. Then she seemed to remember her dilemma and the kidnaping of her beloved Mr. Fuzz-Ball, causing large pearly tears to fall.

Mrs. Higurashi walked out of the room, rolling her eyes as Kagome lunged at her legs and hung on with all her might, therefore getting dragged halfway across the house until her mom reached the garbage can outside, finally disposing of the nasty germ infested Mr. Fuzz-Ball once and for all.

Kagome shakily picked herself off of the floor, still a little disoriented from being dragged on the ground. She stumbled over to the garbage can, reaching fro the lid, but not even able to touch it. She was still too short. So, Kagome did the only thing a seven year old _can_ do in a situation like that one.

She crossed her arms, scrunched up her face, and marched away from her mom.

"I'm never talking to you again, you...you..." she paused, thinking up the worst thing she could say. "...you big meanie!" Then the angry little girl slammed her bedroom door, though it bounced back open after hitting an inflatable ball which promptly deflated with a piercing 'wheeze'.

And so Kagome sat on her bed, as straight as a pole, refusing to talk to her mom.

Ten minutes later...

"Mommy, have you seen Buyo? I can't find him anywhere..."

"Did you check the toilet? He was there last time."

"Oh, yeah! That's right!" Kagome sped back up the stairs and turned the corner, entering into the bathroom. She ambled over to the toilet and peeked inside.

Sure enough, her tiny kitten Buyo stared up from the inside of the bowl back at her, seeming all too innocent with his large brown eyes.

"Buyo!" she scooped up the shivering ball of wet fur and wrapped him up with a dry towel.

"Dumb kitty! You're not supposed to go in there anymore! It's..." she glanced at the toilet, remembering what it was used for, and stuck out her tongue in disgust. "...it's dirty!" As if about to convey some sort of secret, Kagome brought her face close to Buyo and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Do you know what that thing is _used_ for?"

Buyo merely flicked his ear which she had whispered in and began to purr contentedly.

"Kagome, did you find Buyo?"

The young girl spun around to see her mom standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips. Grinning, she uncovered Buyo with the now dampened towel, showing Mrs. Higurashi the soaked kitten who was now hissing in agitation at the loss of warmth from the removed towel.

Mrs. Higurashi didn't even need to ask where the small cat was found as she observed him while he swung his tail back and forth, flicking droplets of water everywhere, including her.

"Why don't you go eat dinner and then get ready for bed while I give Buyo a bath, okay?"

Kagome nodded slowly and hesitantly, disappointed to be going to bed already. "Okay, mommy." Mrs. Higurashi watched as her daughter heavily dragged her feet down the stairs towards the kitchen after having given her Buyo.

A sudden 'meow' made her glance down at the wet kitten in her arms, who was looking at her with large innocent eyes.

She took a whiff of the smell emanating from him, and grimaced. "Come on, Buyo. Let's give you a bath." The kitten ceased 'meowing' suddenly.

While Kagome stuffed vast quantities of spaghetti into her mouth, she heard a shrieking howl coming from upstairs where her mom was bathing Buyo.

Kagome grinned impishly. Buyo_ hated_ baths.

* * *

Flashes of blue and red went off everywhere around Inuyasha as he stood right outside the café with a sheet of paper in his hands and reading it to himself. On the paper, were directions to the place the girl he would have to watch over lived. 

"...3387...35th avenue...Higurashi residence..."

Inuyasha folded the paper and placed it in his large sleeve, groaning in frustration as he caught sight of Miroku striding over towards him, a large grin on his face. Next to the monk was a young woman, Sango, dressed in the attire of a youkai exterminator and a large boomerang slung across her back. On her shoulder was a small fire cat creature, her pet Kirara.

"Inuyasha! I see you're ready. Me and Sango just decided to drop by, you know, say hello and all."

Sango gave Miroku a dry look before turning to Inuyasha, her long ponytail swinging.

"Actually," she corrected. "we came to see if you would like to travel with us past the gates, since you haven't had any practice in three years..."

Inuyasha snorted. "Feh! I can still do it!" he glanced curiously at Sango's rather large boomerang. "Why are you taking Hiraikotsu? Don't you think it'll scare the little brat?"

The youkai exterminator scowled. "No. The children usually _like_ Hiraikotsu. They love playing with it."

She turned to Miroku with a sour expression on her face. "Hold on to Hiraikotsu, okay?"

The monk nodded eagerly.

Sango frowned as she concentrated on moving past the second and first gates. Why was it so hard? It should have been easy, considering Miroku was helping her...

There was the sudden sensation of a pat and perverse rubbing on her backside, causing the taijya to spin around with her arm outstretched.

'_**SMACK!'**_

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as Miroku lost his balance and fell to the floor, clutching his poor, abused cheek which now sported a searing red hand print.

"Sango I didn't meant to-"

'_**BAM!' **_

"...it was a mista-"

'**_WHACK!_**'

"...that was also an accident! I swear! It-"

'_**THRASH!'**_

Breathing heavily, Sango put away her Hiraikotsu again now that she was finished.

Inuyasha watched the limp form of Miroku on the floor for a while before jabbing him in the side with his bare foot.

"Is he even still _alive_?"

The newly composed Sango shrugged. "Probably." Then, with a dutiful sigh, she crouched down and held on to his staff which he still had in his grasp. With an extreme amount of concentration, a blue glow finally formed around the pair and they began to fade from Inuyasha's sight.

"I suppose I'll have to drop this dope off at his charge's house." Sango glared down at Miroku's unconscious form, though she couldn't keep back the slight smile.

When they were almost totally gone from view, Sango called out to Inuyasha, her voice sounding like an echo. "Good luck, Inuyasha!" And then her and Miroku were gone in a flash of blue.

The hanyou closed his eyes.

Three years. For three years he didn't have go and take care of some annoying kid. He almost laughed. The authorities probably though he wasn't stable enough to.

"Well," Inuyasha started, opening up his eyes. "Guess I better go and get this whole stupid thing over with."

Concentrating, he focused on gathering and building up his energy, surrounding himself with it, and then transporting himself past the second and first gates and into life; to his destination.

The air around him turned warm, his aura producing heat which rolled off him in waves.

There was a flash of violet, and Inuyasha was gone.

* * *

A loud crash of thunder caused Kagome to squirm even deeper than she already was into the covers of her bed. 

Once the last of the deep rumbling faded away, she sighed. Rain was something she just couldn't stand. Especially at night.

A flash of lightening jutted across the sky, lighting up her whole room for a mere 10 seconds before darkness seeped once again into every corner, filling her with terror as her eyes strained to see.

The sound of rain drops hitting her roof increased, making it sound as if there was a small waterfall nearby. Kagome twitched. She shut her eyes tightly, trying hard to ignore sound and get some sleep.

Outside a gust of wind blew, driving the rain in a slanted direction, and causing the drops to pound on her bedroom window fiercely. The tingly feeling in her lower stomach grew and Kagome paled slightly. She had to go relieve herself, and the obvious way to do that was go to the bathroom.

She gulped, recalling how dark the house, especially the stairs, were at night. And the bathroom was downstairs.

Slowly and cautiously, the frightened girl lifted the heavy covers off, making sure to grab her teddy bear and climbed down from her bed, trembling as she landed on the floor.

There was another crash of thunder, not as loud as the one before it, though still loud, and Kagome squeaked. She nearly jumped back into the safety of the bed, but the heaviness in her gut persisted.

"Okay...I can do this..." She took a step towards the entrance to her room, and then another and another. Before she knew it, Kagome was standing in her doorway. She had crossed her room.

Now, all Kagome needed to do was get to the stairs, and then...

She gulped, grasping her teddy tightly against her chest.

Go down the stairs.

Scurrying down the hall, Kagome reached the top of the stairs, and then sprinted down, not looking back. Groping around in the darkness, her finger tips brushed the doorknob of the bathroom, and she burst through.

Fortunately, the light in the bathroom turned on automatically, and Kagome grinned, happy that she could now do her business.

A sudden _'thud'_ sounded from upstairs just as Kagome finished pulling up her pajama pants up, but she ignored it.

"Buyo probably fell down from mommy's bed again..." Opening the door, Kagome reluctantly left the safeness of the lighted bathroom, and she sprinted back up the stairs and down the hallway, reaching her room.

A whistling noise alerted Kagome to the fact that her window was slightly open, and the wind was blowing rain drops in.

Confused as to _why_ her window would be open, she watched it curiously for a moment, then walked over to close it. She grasped the bottom and struggled, using all her strength to attempt to shut it, but it wouldn't budge.

It was too heavy for her. She frowned deeply at it and once again tried closing the stubborn window.

The twinkling music of a jewelry box drifted into the air, and Kagome immediately spun around.

She nearly fell back at the sight in front of her.

There, standing by her lamp stand, was a boy. She peered closer, not quite sure that she believed her eyes.

The boy had long silver hair, and flashing amber eyes. He was wearing peculiar red clothing that seemed old, really old. To top the weirdness all off, he had _dog _ears on top of his head.

White _dog_ ears.

_And_, this odd boy was holding her jewelry box, studying it. The very jewelry box her dad gave her. She simply could not allow that.

Kagome blanched. _'Even if he **is** a little scary looking...'_

"H-hey! You can't touch that, Mr.!" The boy stopped the twirling girl figurine with his clawed hand, and glanced up lazily.

'_He has...c-claws?'_

"And why can't I?" he asked curiously.

Kagome froze. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she was scared stiff. What if he was some kind of psycho murderer? Or worse- what if he was a youkai, like the ones in the stories her grandpa told her and Souta?

"Because...I, m-my dad..."

He set down the jewelry box, closing it in the process and silencing the haunting melody that had been playing.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter to me." the boy began to study his clawed fingers. "You're probably going to ask me who I am, and why I'm here, and blah, blah, blah...all of that junk. To save you you're time and breath, I'll just tell ya." He popped his knuckles. "The name's Inuyasha. I'm here to be you're..er...imaginary friend, guardian angel, whatever the hell you wanna call it."

Kagome stared. Imaginary friend? Guardian angel?

Suddenly, she smiled. "My name's Kagome, and I'm seven years-"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm sure that's wonderful and all, but I really don't care. So, uh," Inuyasha glanced around her room. "Why don't you just got to sleep, or something." His ear flicked to the side.

Kagome, of course, was awed. "Can I touch you're ears? I've never seen a human with ears that look like a doggy's before." she hesitant took a step forward.

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes. _'Maybe if she knows I'm a hanyou, she'll get scared..and I won't have to work!'_

A smug look appeared on his face. " That's because I'm not human." he waited for the shrieks.

Instead, he got squeals, and a pair of small hands rubbing his ears.

Inuyasha swivelled his head around to see Kagome tip toeing on the lamp stand, and petting his ears.

'_How the hell did she climb up there so fast?'_

"...what do you think you're doing, brat?"

"Petting you're doggy ears."

Growling lowly, he lifted her up in a rough manner and promptly dropped her onto the bed. "Just go to sleep."

Kagome glared at Inuyasha as she snuggled underneath her blankets. "I don't like you. You're mean."

When Inuyasha continued to ignore her as he sat down in a corner of her room, she grew angrier.

"I said I don't like you! So...go away you mean doggy man!"

This prompted him to spare her a glance. "You know, I wish I_ could_ go...unfortunately, I can't." He leaned back abruptly against the wall. "So you're stuck with me, as I am with you of course, until _you_ fall asleep."

'_Until I fall asleep...?'_ Kagome rubbed her chin thoughtfully, as she had seen her grandpa do often before.

Five seconds later, the raved haired girl was 'asleep' and 'snoring'. Loudly.

To Inuyasha, it was obvious that she wanted him out of there. But, he didn't show that he was privy to her little game.

Instead, he eagerly walked over to the window that was still slightly open, and began to climb out. This was all working out just fine for him.

"Will you come back tomorrow?" a tiny voice called out from behind Inuyasha, who turned his head just a bit.

"...I have to. It's my_ job_." he paused. "Unless...you're terribly frightened of me and don't want me to come back..." He was hinting for her to say that, and then he really wouldn't have to go back.

'_Maybe I could have another three year vacation...' _That sounded good.

Kagome stared at him for a moment, as if actually considering.

"Nope. I'm not scared of you. I mean, _come on_...You have **_doggy ears_**!"

There was a loud _'thud'_ noise that came from a few rooms away.

Inuyasha frowned. "What was that?"

"Oh, that was Buyo. He probably fell off my mom's bed again." She blinked at the alarmed hanyou.

"...Feh."

"Huh?"

"I didn't say anything."

Kagome scratched her head in confusion. "Then what was that funny noise you made?"

"...Just go to sleep, brat." The annoyance was evident in his voice. Even Kagome could tell he was getting ticked off.

By the time she looked up, Inuyasha was halfway out the window. The odd thing was, that he didn't get wet. It was pouring outside, yet, he wasn't wet.

Kagome rubbed her eyes. _'Must be a youkai thing.'_

"Bye, Inuyasha! I'll see you tomorrow." She was hoping he'd be in a better mood by then.

"Feh. Whatever." And he was gone, the window shut.

"There was that weird noise again..."

* * *

End of chapter 2

* * *

Well, that's it for chapter 2. You probably won't see an update for some time, since I'm going to mainly be working on 'Diagnosis Incomplete'. Unless I decide to make this my main project...hmm. Probably not. Well, expect to see an update for 'DI' sooner. Please review! ; ) 


	3. Questions and Answers

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. And that's only because Rumiko Takahashi does.

That's right people. I'm still alive and kicking. Unfortunately, I couldn't update any stories the last few weeks of school because of final exams and such. Then, the very first week of summer vacation, I had to fly off to Florida so I could meet my boyfriend's parents(it's like he thinks we're engaged or something.). My parents just so happened to decide it was the perfect opportunity to go on a trip to the sunshine state, and they flew off with me(courtesy of my "in-laws"). And that, my friends, is why I haven't updated in so long. Now enough of my sorry excuses, and on with the story!

* * *

Chapter Three: Questions and Answers

"...eighteen...nineteen...twenty. Here I come, ready or not!" Inuyasha's voice echoed throughout the nearly empty hallway upstairs, most likely informing the hidden Kagome that her friend was now on the prowl.

Slowly, steadily, Inuyasha walked from room to room, lingering every now and then whenever he thought he heard something that sounded similar to a ten year old girls muffled giggle.

Shuffling into Kagome's room, he swept the whole area with his keen amber eyes and almost immediately zoned in on the single closet door which was barricaded with at least thirty stuffed animals.

Inuyasha stared disbelivingly and rolled his eyes. Just how obvious could the girl get?

Confidently striding up to the closet, he grabbed hold of the brass knob and turned, knocking all of the stuffed animals out of the way in the process.

As the door creaked open, there was a yelp of dismay, and Inuyasha was met with the sight of the pouting face of none other than Kagome, who was angrily glaring up at him.

"How did you find me! I think you cheated! Yeah, that's it! You cheated! Cheater, cheater, dog food eater! You...!"

There was a pounding of footsteps running up the stairs, and before either of them knew it, Inuyasha and Kagome were looking at a very pissed off Mrs. Higurashi.

"What is going on up here? Kagome, why in the world were you screaming? You know very well that yelling is not allowed in this house."

Kagome thrust her index finger at Inuyasha. "But he cheated! I chose the best hiding in the house, and he found me, and so I think he cheated."

Mrs. Higurashi sighed. "Kagome, who are you talking about?"

The frustrated girl put her hands on her hips in a very business like way. "I'm talking about Inuyasha, of course."

Putting a hand to her face, Kagome's mom gently massaged her temples. "Oh, of course. How could I forget about Inuyasha."

Kagome nodded. "That's right mom. How could you forget a dog man like Inuyasha." This earned her a scowl from the said dog man.

Once Mrs. Higurashi was gone, Kagome sat on her bed and stared curiously at Inuyasha. "Why can't anyone see you, but me?"

Settling himself comfortably on the floor cross legged, Inuyasha gently rested his back against the wall and closed his eyes. "You've been asking me that same stupid question for three years now." He lazily opened one eye. "When the hell are you gonna stop?"

Kagome smiled, already used to her friend's brash language. "When you give me an answer, duh!"

There was still no answer.

She tried again. "Where do you live?"

Nothing.

"Okay...what do you eat?"

"Food."

She perked up. At last, they were getting somewhere. "What kind of food?"

The hanyou smirked, eyes now open. "Meat. I eat dog meat."

Kagome's face paled considerably. "..huh-wha..wha-?"

Inuyasha pointed at his ears that were a top his head. "Why do you think I've got dog ears?"

"...well I-I thought it was cause you're a youkai..." she stuttered uncertainly. If possible, Inuyasha's twisted grin grew even more.

"And that's exactly why I eat dog meat. Youkai don't eat the kind of food _you_ eat, ya know. But, you should try some one day...it's so chewy, and meaty, and slimy... in fact, it tastes just like chicken..." Inuyasha looked up to see the look on Kagome's face, but she was no longer sitting on her bed. Instead the poor girl had raced to the bathroom and was stooping over the toilet, emptying out all the contents of her stomach.

A few moments later, she emerged from the bathroom, and stopped short as she caught sight of Inuyasha's twitching dog ears. He gave her his most innocent look, and within seconds her face was taking on a greenish tinge, and she stumbled back into the bathroom, shutting the door on her way in.

Inuyasha chuckled quietly to himself before the guilt of making Kagome sick started seeping in. '_She's really not too bad...' _He mused to himself. In the three years he'd spent as her imaginary friend, he'd come to realize that she wasn't half as spoiled as some of the other brats he'd had to take care of.

He was just about to go downstairs and help himself to a snack or two, when he was alerted by a cry for help. Realizing the scream had come from the bathroom where Kagome was in, he was up on his feet an crashing through the bathroom door faster than you could say 'dog meat'.

As the door banged open, Inuyasha searched wildly around for the ten year old girl, and he finally caught sight of her crouched in the corner near the toilet, cuddling something fuzzy in her small arms.

"Kagome, what the heck is tha-!"

"Inuyasha?" Inuyasha jerked back. The fuzzy thing said his name...?

Cautiously, it crawled out of Kagome's arms and stared up at Inuyasha with big green eyes.

It took him a moment to realize who it was. "Shippo? What are you doing here?"

Shippo, the young kitsune boy, folded his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. "I'm looking for you, stupid!" He watched Inuyasha as the hanyou helped Kagome to her feet. "But I made a tiny mistake, and instead of arriving at the front of the house like I was supposed to, I ended up here in the bathroom, scaring Kagome out of her wits."

Kagome giggled. "Are you gonna be my imaginary friend to?" she asked hopefully.

Shippo shook his head. "I came to bring Inuyasha news from Kaede." he turned to Inuyasha. "Apparently there's been some sort of trouble concerning the Gates, and Kaede thinks its got something to do with Naraku. You have to come back right away."

Inuyasha groaned. Kagome's eyes were already starting to water. "Can't it wait until tonight?"

"Kaede says its urgent that you come now." And in a small puff of red smoke, the kitsune was gone.

Sighing heavily, Inuyasha kneeled down to Kagome's height. "Kagome, I'm gonna have to leave you for awhile. But I'll be back."

Kagome's lip trembled slightly. "Do you promise? Cause if you're gone for too long, then I won't have anyone to play with."

He smiled slightly, the first time he'd smiled in a really long time. "I promise."

She watched silently as her friend stood in the middle of her room, and slowly disapeared as a violet light overtook him. He was gone.

One week later, as she lay in her bed half asleep, she suddenly realized something.

"He's not coming back..." she mumbled, and fell asleep.

* * *

Well, that's all for chapter three. I seriously hope I didn't offend anyone with the whole dog meat thing. My great grandpa was from the Phillipines and he sometimes ate dog meat over there, although I would never try it as I absolutely adore dogs as pets. But I respect other peoples traditions, so, yeah. Anyways, the next chapter should be coming up soon. It'll be a lot more interesting then this one, although it's kind of a flashback. Please review! 


	4. Voices

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha and co.

* * *

_ Bzzzt…!_

"…alright everyone! That was the bell. Pencils down and pass your tests up to the front of the classroom. Once you have done so, I give you permission to  
leave."

Kagome Higurashi chuckled slightly to herself while she placed her pencil back into her bag, and confidently passed her paper up.

'_I so aced this one!'_

Standing up with backpack in hand, the proud student luxuriously stretched an arm out and scratched the back of her head. Smiling, she turned to her friend Yumi, who smoothing back her short hair grinned.

" So…? How'd you do?"

Kagome shifted her bag onto her shoulder and flashed a thumbs up sign. "Let's just say I owe Hojo big time for helping me study."

Giggling, Yumi glanced across the room where said boy was chatting with two other classmates, both of whom were staring up adoringly at him. " You say that as if it were a bad thing." She pointed at herself with an emphatic gesture. "I would gladly owe Hojo 'big time'."

Smiling, Kagome wriggled her eyebrows suggestively. "Even more gladly than if you owed a certain history teacher of ours…_hm_…?" A devilish glint had found its way into her eyes as Yumi flushed a violent shade of red.

"Ahh!…eh…well…that is to say I…!"

" Is everything alright here ladies?"

Even Kagome was startled out of her cocky demeanor as, ironically, the "certain history teacher" suddenly popped up from behind Yumi, a questioning look in his bright eyes.

By now, Yumi was reduced to a mere bubbling fountain of incoherent speech. " …Asuma-sama…sensei…egh…I…"

Not able to stand by and watch the frantic mental disintegration of her friend,

Kagome stepped in. "We're fine Mr. Asuma. Yumi just got…" she hesitated. "she just got a little excited is all."

After a quick glance at the recovering girl, the baffled teacher turned back to his desk, satisfied. Before he had gone three steps, however, he tilted his head slightly, and addressed Kagome.

"If you wouldn't mind waiting after everyone has left, Kagome, I need to speak with you about something." He stopped and smiled, the tip of something that glistened slightly protruding through the corner of his lip. "If that's okay with you, of course."

'_Is that a…?'  
_

"Sure. I'll wait."

The raven haired youth nodded and returned to his desk, the usual Asuma groupies already there.

'…_**fang**?'_

Shaking her head dazedly, Kagome waved 'bye' to a newly recovered Yumi before sitting back down. She looked over at the Asuma groupies who had surrounded Asuma's desk, and were now swooning over something he had said. She layed her head on the cool surface of the table and sighed.

"This is gonna take a while."

* * *

It was raining, and deep within the empty house, a dark figure lounged gracefully on the windowsill, twirling a charm of some sort between long thin fingers. Waiting.

There was a loud clap of thunder.

The door slowly creaked open, and someone stepped into the silent room.

" Did you get it?" The shadowy figure mumbled, not looking up.

Closing the door and entering the room, the intruder carelessly tossed something to the ground in front of the figure. "Why even bother asking? You know I did."

A slight tingle vibrated up the spine of the figure, an effect caused by the voice which spoke. It was steady, proud, and, although unnoticeable, in control. Just like its owner.

Stepping down from the sill, the figure stood tall, towering over the stranger.

Then, it bent down, and gently picked up the object off the ground. It smirked, studying the sliver of jewel.

" Kikyo, you amaze me. How did you manage to get this away from him of all people?"

Kikyo glanced out the window, closing her eyes and breathing in the scent of damp wood. That voice. How that voice irritated her so.

" I despise you, Naraku."

Unfazed, and still examining his prize, Naraku chuckled slightly.

"Of course you do."

A flash of lightning lit up the entire sky.

* * *

Kagome inserted the house key into the lock and slowly turned it. She entered, and was met with the delicious scent of home cooking, done of course, by her mother.

"Mom! I'm home!"

Setting her bag on the floor and collapsing onto the nearest chair, the exhausted girl kicked off her shoes and rubbed her sore eyes. It had been a long wait.

"Kagome! Where in the world have you been? I was beginning to get a little worried…"

Yawning, Kagome looked up at her mother, who was holding a very fat looking Buyo.

'Looks like moms been overfeeding him again.'

"I had to stay after school to talk with my history teacher."

Her mother's ears instantly perked up nervously. " Mr.Asuma? You weren't in trouble, were you?" She set Buyo down, his heaviness getting the better of her.

"Oh, no-no!" The younger Higurashi was quick to correct. "He just wanted to see how I thought the test was- you know, if I thought it was hard or anything." A heavy weight suddenly plopped onto her lap, and Kagome looked down to see Buyo, staring up at her with bulging eyes.

Mrs.Higurashi sighed with relief. " Well, I have dinner ready for you on the table. It's wrapped in foil, so it should still be warm."

Without a moments hesitation, Kagome leaped off the chair and bounded into the kitchen, searching for her dinner.

Instead, she found an empty plate next to some discarded foil.

She turned accusingly around to see her younger brother, Souta, sitting at the table, reading a book. He widened his eyes and pointed upstairs. "Don't look at me! Grandpa's the one that ate your food."

Kagome glared fiercely at the ceiling. Somehow, she wasn't surprised.

* * *

After having fashioned a sandwich for herself, Kagome took a quick shower and bid goodnight to her family.

And Buyo.

Then, she arranged her quilts so a sort of pocket was formed for her to slip in, and she checked to make sure her window was closed and the jewelry box her father gave her was in its rightful place. Snuggling into bed, she shut her eyes.

But she couldn't sleep.

Instead, her weary thoughts drifted to earlier that day when she had stayed back to talk with Mr.Asuma.

Apparently, he had wanted to know how the test had gone for her.

She turned on her side and listened to the sound of the rain drops tapping against her window,the distant rumbling of thunder echoing every now and then.

"Call me Kouga." He'd said, winking at her. "Mr.Asuma makes me feel so old." He was only twenty-three. "Only eight years older than you, Kagome." He'd said.

Suddenly, a loud thumping noise interrupted the pondering girls thoughts. She quickly jerked her eyes to the window, expecting a tree branch or something to come flying through it.

Nope. Nothing.

Sighing, she snuggled deeper into her covers, and turned away from the window.

"I hate the rain…"

Almost immediately, and most unexpectedly, a gruff voice called out from the dark corner of her room.

"Is that so?"

Kagome threw the covers off and nearly shrieked in terror, save for that she was much too frightened to speak.

'…_Th-that voice…'  
_

"Who's there?!"

* * *

End of chapter four

Hope you enjoyed this new chapter! PPlz review!!! applebits


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